How ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES Changed the Franchise Forever

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:18]Welcome, gentlemen, TO THE UNITED ON MAY 21ST, 1971, the third entry in one of Hollywood's most iconic franchises was released in theaters.

[00:00:36]That film was Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and on that day, the trajectory of the Planet of the Apes saga was changed forever. And it's a change that has carried onward into the modern era, which we can still see in the Apes films we are getting today. A change that I, as well as most fans of the films, would agree has been part of what makes them so unique and so beloved.

[00:01:00]In the aftermath of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the second film in the original series, which hit theaters in May 1970, 1 year prior to Escape, the filmmakers were tasked with figuring out how to move the franchise forward once again. There was just one problem.

[00:01:15]Thanks to Charlton Heston's insistence on ensuring no more films could be made Beneath the Planet of the Apes ended with the complete destruction of Earth and the death of all life on it, both ape and human.

[00:01:43]In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium-sized star.

[00:01:50]And one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead. The quite literally ends the entire world, bringing the lives of every character we got to know and love in the first two entries to a horrific, but swift end. Except for two of them.

[00:02:11]But why doesn't she take it?

[00:02:14]Because I loathe bananas, Zira.

[00:02:17]In the opening minutes of the third entry in the apes franchise, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, it's revealed that Cornelius and Zira, the fan favorite chimpanzees from the first two films, had boarded Taylor's abandoned ship with the help of a third chimpanzee companion. The couple is able to launch a successful takeoff, traveling backwards in time through a wormhole in space, and arriving in 1970s San Francisco, reversing the roles of humans and apes seen in the original 1968 movie. Once they arrive, we are taken on a roller coaster ride of a journey alongside our new protagonists, and it marks the start of what was a massive shift in how these films would be made from that moment on. We have traveled from Earth's future to Earth's past.

[00:03:03]But we saw the Earth destroyed. And Earth will be destroyed, just as we saw it.

[00:03:08]Only since seeing it, we have passed through a a backward disturbance in time.

[00:03:14]Did you notice the date meter clicking down after the shockwave hit our ship?

[00:03:18]Yes. We returned to Earth nearly 2,000 years before its destruction. In Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the series took a big swing, as after focusing on a pair of humans for its first few films, it opted to shake things up and make the apes the main characters this time.

[00:03:36]That, paired with their story leaning heavily on time travel and being set in our world rather than theirs, was a pretty huge risk for a franchise that already had such a passionate audience.

[00:03:46]But, it ended up paying off big time. We are peaceful creatures. We are happy to be here.

[00:03:53]May we be unchained?

[00:03:59]>> [applause] >> Without fail, Cornelius and Zira became the new faces of the franchise, and the ape-led trend would then continue in the follow-up to Escape Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, as well as the fifth and final film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes. The fans loved the apes, and the apes, who were always the true selling point, were finally front and center. However, after decades of the series lying dormant on the movie side of things, when it came time to bring the franchise back to life in 2001, humans were once again center stage. And well, I think we all remember what happened.

[00:04:37]Okay, let's go explain evolution to the monkeys.

[00:04:41]Putting some more nuanced and varying opinions on that film aside, Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes was mostly rejected by fans and critics alike, sending the franchise into a second state of dormancy. But then, came Caesar. When the apes franchise was rebooted a second time in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the decision was made to go back to what had made this franchise what it is at its best, and that was a return to a focus on the apes as our main characters. Just like in 1971, this was once again a massive risk, as now, not only were the films fighting the reboot curse, but these apes would be created entirely with CGI this time, as opposed to the iconic practical makeup of the 1960s and 70s.

[00:05:26]But, just like in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, it's a risk that paid off, and here we are, four reboot era films later, with a fifth one on the way, and the apes remain at the front and center of the franchise, which is exactly where they belong. This can all be traced back to that pivotal decision, which was made by screenwriter Paul Dehn over 50 years ago, in which he was able to get himself out of the corner he'd backed himself into and beneath, and was able to build a foundation that set up the rest of the films that followed. That pivot in direction, while perhaps born out of a studio's financial desire to make a sequel no matter what, ended up being the catalyst that shaped everything we know the apes films to be today.

[00:06:07]>> As an archaeologist, I had access to history scrolls which were kept secret from the masses, and I suspect that the weapon which destroyed Earth was man's own invention. I do know this.

[00:06:18]One of the reasons for man's original downfall was your peculiar habit of murdering one another. Man destroys man.

[00:06:26]Apes do not destroy apes. Escape from the Planet of the Apes was the film that transitioned this franchise from films about humans in a world of talking apes to films about talking apes and their complex relationships with humans, a species that once looked down on them, and it's been all the better for it ever since. While the first two films were very Twilight Zone in their approach, telling mysterious and dystopian science fiction stories, the following three films are much more akin to something like Star Trek, using apes as a more compelling and interesting stand-in for humans to explore very human themes and discuss real-world issues and socially relevant ideas, all while telling a more tight-knit, interconnected story. That, among other reasons, is why audiences have continued to support these movies and continue to root for the apes, who remain the face of the franchise to this day. People love and are so compelled by the apes as protagonists in these films as opposed to humans because they're a way for us to watch stories about ourselves that ask questions and start interesting discussions about our own morals and beliefs, who we are, what we're doing in this world, and why, but without the stress or distraction of it stemming from our own reality. That, paired with an ever-evolving mythology behind the apes' history, ever-expanding ape cultures, and a universe that spans thousands of years seeing the rise and fall of two different species, each getting a chance to rule the earth, is what has kept Planet of the Apes so exciting, so unique, and so intriguing from film to film. This was only proven more true in the modern age with Rise, Dawn, War, and Kingdom each leaving audiences compelled by the now performance capture driven CGI apes and excited to see more of them in the future. While I'm sure some viewers showed up to these movies for stars like James Franco, Gary Oldman, and Jason Clarke, it was characters like Caesar, Noah, Koba, Maurice, Rocket, and several other incredibly well realized apes that keep them coming back.

[00:08:25]We will name her Nova.

[00:08:30]We name them all Nova.

[00:08:34]I do not know why. It is from Caesar's time. With its major change in direction, Escape not only reinvented the franchise, but showed us just how impactful, how detailed, and how emotionally compelling the apes could be when put into this new position. We get to actually know Cornelius and Zira. We get to care deeply about their relationship not just with each other, but with the few humans that treated them with kindness and trust. The film gets you to care just as much about them as you could any human protagonist, if not more. We're charmed by Zira's wit and endeared by her commitment to always speaking the truth and standing up for her values. And we're heart warmed by Cornelius' sincerity as well as just how much he loves Zira and his desire to keep her and his family safe. The beauty of Escape, among its dozens of other aspects that make it work so well, is how it creates such human characters without actually having them be human.

[00:09:29]Does the other one talk?

[00:09:33]Only when she lets me.

[00:09:37]>> [laughter] >> A common question that often gets brought up in the Planet of the Apes fan base is whether or not we will ever see the films return to a human protagonist again, and if so, when? While it might seem like a no-brainer to say no, simply due to the franchise's successful track record when led by apes compared to humans, there could actually be a strong case or two to be made to take that risk, stray from the proven formula, and make an apes film with a human in the lead once again. It's not out of the question that the filmmakers might eventually want to shake things up again and tell a non-ape-led story, or that the studio could one day urge them to relegate apes back to supporting roles and make it about a human as a means to lower the budget. That being said, I still think it's pretty safe to say we won't be seeing it happen anytime soon.

[00:10:29]Planet of the Apes is a really special franchise, and Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a really special film in that franchise. If not for its biting social commentary on prejudice and the hubris of humanity, then for being the change that would evolve this series of films to new heights and elevating them to be able to reach their true potential. Without it, who knows where these films would have gone next.

[00:10:50]Perhaps screenwriter Paul Dehn and director Don Taylor could have simply introduced a third time-traveling human protagonist and just had them travel forward in time before the Earth was destroyed. And maybe that would have worked and kept these films limited to stories about humans and exploring the world of apes. But they didn't. And today, 55 years later, we still have them and their film to thank for all of the incredible ape-led stories we've gotten to see since.

[00:11:21]>> [music] >> Thank you so much for checking out today's video here on Ape Nation. If you liked this video, be sure to hit the like button. You can also join the Ape Nation Discord server for daily discussions about the franchise. If you're interested in seeing more of my videos, be sure to subscribe to the channel and hit that notification bell so that you can stay up to date on all things apes. I'll catch you in the next one, so until then, goodbye.